Microsoft's hero PCs

Windows Vista Countdown: Day 1

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For day one of our countdown to Windows Vista , we'll take a look at some of the new PC designs Microsoft is promoting in advance of the new operating system. The sheer variety of form factors is one of the main things Microsoft is trying to push with Vista.

Bill Gates showed off a video during his CES keynote of some of the best new designs that are running Vista.

It weighs about 450g but is so incredibly tiny you'd find it rather hard to type on. However, the five-inch LCD screen can support 800 x 480 resolution. There's also a 1.5GHz processor, 60GB hard drive and 512Mb or 1 GB of DDR2 RAM. It costs around £800.

Some of Microsoft's other favoured designs for Vista include:

HP TouchSmart As the name suggests, a touch screen desktop that's designed as an entertainment hub - or somewhere that any member of the family can communicate using email or instant messaging. It's been dubbed a 'kitchen PC.'

Medion UMPC In a similar class to Samsung's Q1, the Medion is an ultra-mobile PC that features the Origami Experience user interface. It's designed to be used by hand, so can type with your thumbs. Medion might not be the most familiar name to you, but in Germany they're a huge company. Over here, they sell PCs through retailers like Aldi.

Toshiba Portege R400 As with the TouchSmart, the Portege R400 is something we've previously looked at here on Tech.co.uk. The tablet uses Toshiba Edge Display technology to show you email alerts on the front edge of the laptop even if the lid is closed. There's also a Port Replicator that enables the R400 to wirelessly connect to peripherals.